When It Rains, It Pours
by kai-foxflight
Summary: One-shot. Naruto's cracked, and it's up to Hinata to save him before he manages to kill himself. And, of course, it has to be raining on Hinata's day off, leaving her standing on the edge of the Hokage's Monument in pouring rain and soaked pajamas, just to save the boy she loves. And maybe gain his heart along the way.


A/N It doesn't matter in the beginning, but keep in mind I am not good with mushy-gushy lovey-dovey parts, especially kiss scenes. Also, I am stretching the story line to fit in characters. As in, Hinata isn't a psychologist in this, but it follows that story line of somebody on the edge and someone helping them. And I am sorry if I messed up any name honorifics. I am an American girl who is trying to teach herself Japanese, and who also listens to Japanese Pop music, while juggling softball, school, projects, homework, musical practices, and friends. Sorry. And, I don't know if there is or isn't an Uzumaki bloodline trait, but either way, my story has one, a visual jutsu that allows the person with it to break down any jutsu or anything –taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, etc.- and reconstruct it strong than it was before in a matter of milliseconds. And most of my information comes from Wikipedia, so sorry if it is wrong.

_**Warning: Some parts not for those who easily puke.**_

**Man on the Edge and Psychologist**

It was raining. Hard. Hinata had planned on spending the day in her house, training. It just had to be pouring on her day off.

She had not, however, planned to be standing in the rain in soaked bunny pajamas, using most of her chakra to cling to the Hokage Monument. She most definitely had not planned on being there because of Naruto. He was not pulling a prank, no, nothing like that.

He was on the edge of the monument, slowly letting his chakra decrease, slowly sliding off the edge.

The day had not started off like this, however. It had been raining, yes, but nowhere near as bad. Hinata had woken up in the apartment she shared with Neji at exactly four in the morning. Neji and TenTen were leaving for a mission at six, so she was making them breakfast. It would be the last good meal they would have for a while.

As she cooked the food, she thought about how Neji and she had ended up in this situation. On her thirteenth birthday, just under two years ago, the clan elders announced that Hinata was to be married off to a Suna man to "strengthen village ties," even though everyone knew they were lying. The man in question, who died earlier in the year, was a few years older than her father. Even he had fought with them, saying Hinata was changing and improving. The clan elders, however, would not listen. Neji had stood up for her when they tried to ship her off; whether because he cared for her or because he was going to be sent along as her protector, she didn't really know. As such, both were exiled from the clan. Hiashi was forced to brand his daughter, but "messed up" and the seal doesn't work. His parting words to her were to "never give up, and keep on fighting."

Hinata was pulled out of her thoughts by the scent of burning toast. She hurried to turn off the toaster and butter the toast. As she was doing that, the eggs started to burn. Using her ninja skills, quite literally, she had the eggs and toast off of the heat and on the plates, ready to eat, in just seconds. She smiled, and put the rest of the breakfast together. Both plates hit the table just as she heard Neji's door open. She grabbed his glass and poured him his favorite drink, a mixture she found disgusting, but would not comment on. She poured half a glass of milk, and then filled the rest with orange juice. His cup was put back in place just as he walked in.

"Morning, Hinata-hime. Smells good. What's the occasion?" Neji sat down as he talked. Much to Hinata's disappointment, he still called her "Hime." No matter how many times she told him not to, he always continued, as the years of growing up being forced to do such kicked in.

"Good morning, Neji-nii-san. You honestly forgot about your mission? That is not very good of you, Viper-san." Hinata smiled at her brother-figure as realization crossed his face as she called him by his ANBU name.

"I can't believe I forgot. Thank you so much for reminding me, Hinata-hime. Why are you still standing, sit down. You weren't planning on leaving that food for a ghost, were you?" Neji motioned for Hinata to sit down, but the doorbell rang.

"Sorry Neji-nii, but that plate isn't for me. It is for our visitor." Hinata was walking to the door as she told Neji, and quickly opened it when she reached it. TenTen was standing there, looking Hinata up in down. Hinata realized quickly that she was still in her bunny pajamas when TenTen smirked and started chuckling.

"Good morning, Hinata. Nice PJs." TenTen's smile got bigger as Hinata tried to glare at her. It wasn't going that well.

Eventually, Hinata gave up. "Good morning TenTen. I already made breakfast for you and Neji, come on." Hinata led her friend and cousin's teammate through their mess of an apartment. Well, more specifically, Neji's mess of an apartment. Not a single thing lying around was Hinata's, and it was starting to seem like Neji wouldn't have anything in his room with the amount of things strewn everywhere. When TenTen tripped on a couple of Neji's books, Hinata steadied her friend and quickly walked into the kitchen. "Neji-nii, what did I say about cleaning before you left for your mission? Your things almost killed your teammate."

"Sorry Hinata-hime, but if this morning was any reminder, I completely forgot about the mission. Good morning, TenTen," Neji turned away from his cousin, and spoke to his teammate now. "Sorry about my mess."

TenTen smirked. "Who would have thought the ever so neat and prestigious Neji Hyuuga would live like a pig, and leave all the work to his cousin?"

"Definitely not me," TenTen and Neji whipped their heads around to see their normally loud teammate standing next to Hinata, quiet as could be.

"Lee, when-what happened?" TenTen asked the obvious question the pair had been wondering about. They had not seen Lee in weeks, as he had been gone on one mission after the next. As such, his lack of bowl cut hair and green spandex were a surprise to the duo. Hinata started giggling as Neji and TenTen's mouths dropped open at their completely re-made teammate. Almost like the cherry on top of the whipped cream to them was the fact that he was acting normal for once.

"Hina-chan, you didn't tell them?" Lee looked at the two with confusion. He was positive they would have known by now.

"Lee-senpai, it was top secret. I wasn't allowed to until you came back." Hinata stared back at Lee.

"Wait, tell us what? Hinata, you were part of this? And what happened?" TenTen was freaking out a little, where as Neji just seemed shocked.

"Neji-nii, close your mouth or you will catch flies." Hinata giggled as Neji snapped back to reality and gave her a playful glare.

"TenTen-chan, Neji, the whole Gai-sensei and Lee, 'Konoha's Green Beasts,' was a complete act. Did you honestly think either of us would make ourselves look like complete idiots for no reason? And if you answer yes to that, I will burn you to ashes with an S-Ranked fire jutsu. Oh, shit! Hinata-chan! Why did you let me say that out loud? What if someone was listening?" Lee started freaking out just a little, and Hinata shook her head.

"Lee-senpai, you are forgetting that the Hokage is telling everyone about it later. It won't matter all that much." Hinata saw the confused looks on Neji and TenTen's faces, and turned towards the two. She realized they hadn't eaten yet, and signaled to the food. They sat down and started eating as she started talking. "Lee-senpai and Gai-sensei were part of a plan originally made by the 4th Hokage. When he died, the plans were handed to the 3rd, and now the 5th. I was brought into this plan, along with a person who will not be named. Neji-nii, that is where my 'black sheep act' came from, it was part of the plan. The nights when 'Father' was training me were really spent with the Hokage. Father was in on this, all his disappointment was false. You two being put on Lee and Gai's team was all planned, as was Lee's 'inability' to use chakra. From my second birthday, I was put through intense training. Part of that involved finding weaknesses in the Byakugan. If you are wondering, Neji, the whole reason I was chosen for this plan and was not you was because I have a more 'advanced' version of the Byakugan apparently. It allows me to see everything, with no blind spot, along with many other things I don't even understand. It is like a mix of the Sharigan, Byakugan, and the Uzumaki bloodlines. Wait, you don't know what that is. Never mind that. Anyways, because of that, I was trained beyond what a Hyuuga can do. One thing was the fact to be able to restrict or completely stop chakra, where it can't even be seen by any medical jutsu or visual jutsu.

"I was told to restrict Lee's chakra every day. At first I didn't understand, I thought he was just a volunteer for my training."

"And then, I surprised Hinata-chan with going to the academy and learning only taijutsu. When she joined the next year, she was secretly learning things levels above us. Technically, Hinata is Kage level at this very moment.

"I am not Lee-senpai. Stop making that up. I have been training levels above everybody else. I might have more chakra than Naruto -that has yet to be tested- and even if I don't, it was proven that I could have an upper hand in a battle against him and hold out longer than he does. However, the Hinata most of the people around here have seen has been a clone. As were the Lee-senpai and Gai-sensei around here."

"We were on a training trip for a few years now, along with somebody even we are not allowed to mention."

"Wait… Slow down. What?" TenTen was the one that spoke, and Neji seemed to be in shock from it all. Hinata smiled and dumbed it down.

"Lee-senpai and I have been training differently than you believed. We are not as you thought we were."

"Okay… Lee, you can continue now." TenTen nodded in understanding at Hinata and could now understand what Lee was saying.

"So, on the training trip with some people we are not allowed to name and Gai-sensei, we were trained to be part of a special team with ninjas picked by hand from all the villages. And Hinata is above them all, including me. She is also the youngest."

"I am not above everyone, Lee-senpai! Stop exaggerating things like that! And I am not the youngest, there is that girl-oh wait, she died last year. And she was older than me. I will give you the credit on that one."

"Ok. So… Gai-sensei was training and Hinata is the youngest on this team, and we had special training from people we aren't allowed to name. Um… Oh yeah! Hinata's Byakugan. It is a special trait in the Hyuuga family that has only been seen two other times. It was believed to be a legend. That is still classified really, but the Hokage is mentioning it to explain Hinata's part in everything. Um, the team is a group of three ninja and a trainer from each village, we are those with special abilities; for me that is being a taijutsu specialist who does not rely on chakra, an ability not even Gai-sensei can claim he can do. Hinata's is pretty obvious. And once again, there is another ninja from our village that we cannot name."

"Lee, let them eat their breakfast. Everything will be explained by Tsunade-sama soon. Neji and TenTen, she is calling all ninja chunin and up to her office in twenty minutes. I would eat fast."

"Hinata-hime, how do you know that?" Neji was confused, as Hinata hadn't left the apartment in days and no messages ever came for her. She smiled, but didn't answer. Instead, she tipped her head toward the phone in their apartment. Tsunade had placed on in the apartment even though they were extremely expensive, and Neji was now realizing why.

The phone rang, and Hinata smile grew. Neji slowly reached over to it and picked it up, only to hear Tsunade on the other end. "Hinata?"

"Sorry, Tsunade-sama, but no." Neji smiled a little, a habit he was starting to gain the longer he stayed away from the Hyuuga.

"Oh. Let me guess. She told you?" Neji could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yes, how did you know?" Neji was beyond confused, and he hated the feeling.

"How quickly you answered. She just smiled after a question you asked and looked at the phone, I am guessing?"

"What-how?"

"Ask her. However, I am calling to let you four know that there is going to be a meeting in my-"

"In your office in twenty minutes with all ninja chunin or above. Hinata told me." Neji was glad for the information Hinata had given him, and smiled to himself when Tsunade sat, stunned.

"Just tell her to try and keep it a secret for a little while longer."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Neji heard the dial-tone and hung up the phone. He turned around to see Hinata missing. He figured she had gone back to her room during his call, and went to call for her. "Hinata-him-"

"Tsunade wants you to tell me to try and keep it a secret for a little while longer. I know already." Hinata had cut Neji off, and he knew for sure she had no way of knowing the information before he told her. TenTen was equally as confused, and Lee was smiling slightly. TenTen turned to him and saw.

"Lee, you know something. Spill."

"TenTen-chan, would you want me telling everyone your secrets just because someone realized I knew? I am not telling you, ask Hinata-chan."

"Please, Lee-kun. Pretty please." TenTen gave him puppy-dog eyes and it looked like she was begging to him. He didn't react at all. "Fine. Be a sour puss."

"Sorry, TenTen-chan. As much as you are like a sister to me, even my own sister doesn't know this secret. It is under lock and key, and I would like to keep it that way." Hinata walked out of her bedroom carrying an old book from the Hyuuga library, with pages that looked older than the village itself. "Neji, the legend is in here on the page with the bright green marker. Tsunade-sama decided on that part. It is long; I underlined the section focusing on my Byakugan specifically. The other parts are not something you need or will want to read. And if you do, Tsunade-sama is going to be very mad." Hinata's warning was subtle, but rang clear through everyone's ears. Neji nodded his head, and decided he would not chance Tsunade's wrath.

TenTen looked at Hinata. "It can't be that bad."

Hinata looked her dead in the eyes. "You don't believe me TenTen-chan. Here," Hinata walked over to her and opened the giant book. She turned to a specific page and showed it to TenTen, who read it slowly. Her smile shrunk little by little, and soon she was running into the bathroom. Not a minute later, the toilet flushed and the sound of water running was heard. TenTen walked out with a disgusted look on her face and a towel around her. Her clothes were in her hands.

"Um… Hinata-chan, can I use your washer?" TenTen's face was pale white, and she didn't look all that good.

"I will help you as long as I don't have to touch the clothes. Come on, it is this way." Hinata lead TenTen through the apartment to the room next to hers. Inside were a washer and dryer, along with all their cleaning supplies and anything else they might need quickly. Hinata started the washer, and TenTen threw her clothes inside. They poured in a lot of detergent, and closed the lid.

"You want some of my clothes, TenTen-chan?" TenTen nodded, and Hinata walked into her room. TenTen returned to the bathroom and scrubbed her hands until they bled. She walked out after a little bit, and went into Hinata's room. The door closed, and TenTen and Hinata started talking, Hinata standing right in front of the door so the boys didn't bother trying to come in. TenTen put on Hinata's clothes quickly, and felt strange in them. Hinata had grown, but she was still was smaller than TenTen. Her drawers were all gone through just to scrounge up an outfit, and it was still a squeeze.

The two girls walked out of the room, and Hinata led TenTen to the bathroom once again, this time giving the girl a new toothbrush. Hinata waited outside the door for her to finish, before leading her back to the boys. Both boys were sitting at the table, and their eyes kept flitting back to the book, but both were afraid to see what would have TenTen running to the bathroom that quickly. She had used chakra, and had still just made it before blowing out her guts into the porcelain throne. Lee started to lean over to read, but immediately changed his mind and went back to sitting straight in his chair. Hinata walked in with TenTen following her before either of them built up the guts to read it. She smiled at that fact and walked to the front of the room, getting all attention on her.

"I would ask if you wanted more breakfast, however, I believe we have to go see Tsunade-sama right now. And if I am correct, your mission is not going to be needed anymore."

"Wait-What? Hinata-hime, when are you going to-" Neji never finished his thought and an ANBU messenger appeared by the window. Hinata ran over and opened it.

"I am sorry, Viper-san, for interrupting. However, Tsunade-sama wishes for you to know that your team's mission is not needed anymore. Panda-san, I see you and Frog-san are here, and I am no longer needed to tell all of you separately. Good day, and don't forget about the meeting in a few minutes." He finished and Shushined away.

"I am not even asking anymore." Neji pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "Are we going to see Tsunade-sama or not?"

The four were the last to arrive at Tsunade's office; even the ever late Kakashi beat them there. Hinata and Lee walked in last, much to Tsunade's dismay.

"Where have you two been?" Tsunade seemed to be angry, but she was more concerned for them than everything. They were two of the most wanted ninja ever, both because of their talents, and there was always the chance someone wanted to take or off them.

"Tsunade-sama, where is the sake?" Hinata's brashness caught the attention of those who knew her, but none of them raised a question. They had all changed in the year since they had last seen each other, and Hinata had spent that entire time away from the village in their eyes. They had no idea this was new.

"I haven't had any. Recently. Never mind that. I have news for all of you. However, I have a little gift. The newest Bingo Books for all of you. Some you might be surprised at the newest additions and ranks in there." The books were passed out, Lee and Hinata getting them last. They had seen the expressions on everyone's faces, and the looks sent their way. When they got their books, they opened them at the same time. The first picture staring back…

"Hyuuga Hinata? Please tell me this is some kind of joke. That shy little girl who was the black sheep of her clan? How the hell is she the most feared person in all of the nations?" A random chunin, who sadly didn't realize Hinata was in the room, screamed out. In the second following, he was pinned to the ground by the same girl he was yelling about, her kunai pressing into his throat enough that he could feel a little cut forming. One wrong move and he would be dead. "W-who a-are y-you?" He was struggling to breathe with her sitting on his chest, and he was afraid of the knife pressing into his neck.

"Why don't you check the Bingo Book? You might be surprised." Hinata smirked as his friends flipped through their books, before reaching the end. They looked at the girl again, and one of them realized something.

"No! Effin'! Way!" He looked back and forth from the book to the girl on his friend. "Dude, she is going to so kill you!" The poor chunin under Hinata was looking at his friend, who turned his book around and showed it to his friend. He read the page and his eyes widened as he looked at the picture, but he didn't have a chance to say anything.

"Hinata! Why don't you wait for me to explain before you go killing one of the instructors? Or you are taking his place at the Academy." Tsunade was smiling at the girl, but nobody could really see it behind her mask.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. But if he says something like that again, I don't care if I am stuck teaching the poor pre-genin, I am not hesitating in my attack." Hinata slowly got off the man, who gulped in air now that he could breathe. His friends helped him up, and he held his hand to his neck, trying to stop the little flow of blood coming from his cut.

"Crazy bitch," he muttered under his breath. Next thing anyone knew, Hinata was flying at him, and Lee was trying to hold her back. Neji went to help him, but they still needed TenTen and a smirking Anko to keep Hinata away from him.

"Next time, I am allowing her to attack you with no interference. I do not expect that behavior from a fellow ninja." Tsunade stared the chunin down, and he cowered back from her. "Now that the excitement is over for now, I have an announcement many of you will enjoy. However, before I tell you all, there are three of your fellow ninja, one of which you all probably know of by now, that you must meet. Hyuuga Hinata, Rock Lee, Maito Gai; please come up here." The trio walked up to Tsunade, Hinata still quite angry. "These three ninja are part of an experimental team with the other nations. Hinata and Lee have been trained from a young age, and Gai was chosen as the instructor from our village for this project. Many of you most likely believe you know these people, however, you do not. They have grown up in a set way, and have been tricking the nations into believing they are one person, when they are actually another. I have to say, one can only stand so long of a stuttering little girl, and two monsters running around our village while screaming of youth. I congratulate you ninja, for falling for one of the simplest tricks in the book. However, now is the time for the deceptions to drop.

"Hyuuga Hinata; she is the most wanted person in all of the nations. She is not a traitor, actually the complete opposite. She possesses a unique trait of the Hyuuga, only found in two others in the entire clan. She is the only one to have been born with eyesight while possessing this trait, and, as the villages find out about it, she is more wanted for this trait. She is the youngest on this experimental team, and should be held with high honor, because, quite honestly, I believe I should be giving my title to her right now. She was at my level before she even graduated the Academy. Rock Lee; many of you know him as a mini-Gai. However, the two put on that act as part of this deception. Lee is a taijutsu specialist who trained with no chakra at all. Not only does he have massive chakra reserves, he can also fight without them. It has been agreed upon that he is named the greatest taijutsu specialist in all of the nations. Maito Gai; he follows closely behind Lee, and they are virtually the same in talents. Lee has only one thing over him, the ability to fight with no chakra what-so-ever.

"Now you have met three of the ninja being sent on this experiment. However, I have a surprise for you. Gai is the trainer of the team in taijutsu, and, as such, they need a third teammate. We needed a nin who has shown his loyalty time and time again, listening to what the elders say and doing what he is told. Many of you know him as a traitor; however, he is anything but. I want you all to meet Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade finished her speech as Itachi walked into the room. The assembled ninja separated, creating a clear path for him. He walked with dignity, but if you looked closely, you could see his fear in his eyes. He reached Tsunade quickly, and sat on his knees, bowing low to the ground.

"Tsunade-sama, I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity. It has been an honor just to-" The same nin who made commented on Hinata interrupted him.

"What is a traitor like _him_ doing here?" He never got to finish his thought as Hinata had him from behind, her kunai pressing into his throat. He froze, and assessed his situation. One wrong move and she had ten ways to kill him. He tried to outsmart her by trying to swipe her legs out from under her, but she jumped, still holding on to him. His body bent in ways it was not supposed to, and he grit his teeth in pain. Tsunade, true to her word, did not interfere, and did not let anyone else. The chunin tried to punch her and she bent backwards, bringing him with her. She was extremely flexible, and he was not; his back cracked from it. Soon she had him on the ground again, with her kunai still against his throat.

"I told you I wasn't holding back the next time it happened. The fact that you angered me three times in less than half an hour is quite a feat. One you won't live to see again." Hinata went to slit his neck, and that is when people sprung into action. Itachi grabbed her hand, effectively stopping her. Kurenai tried to trap her in a genjutsu, but she dispelled it without a thought. Kiba and Shino were trying to hold her back, but were not having much luck. Lee eventually grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back, before pushing her against the wall. He held her there with the help of Shino and Kiba, while Itachi trapped her in a genjutsu using his Sharingan.

The man she attacked wasn't faring as good. Tsunade was beyond angry at him, and he was losing his position in the ranks. She sent his friends to take him to the hospital, as he had passed out from fear, and to tell him the news when he awoke. They nodded and took off.

"Itachi, I believe you can take her out of that now." Tsunade was looking at Hinata with worry; she had gone limp when the genjutsu was first placed on her, and she now was being laid in a sitting position on the windowsill.

"I did the second the guy was out of the room, Tsunade-sama. I don't know what happened to her, she should be fine by now." Itachi looked at the girl he had come to see as a little sister with worry.

"I will- what?" Tsunade stopped mid thought as Hinata started to wake up.

Hinata opened her eyes to see the entire ninja community chunin and up staring at her. "Did I kill him?"

"No, not quite. You are, however, going to be on probation, again might I add, if you do not stop attacking fellow ninja." Tsunade looked at Hinata with mild anger. This is not how she had planned for this to go.

"But he starte-" Hinata was cut off quickly by Tsunade.

"It does matter. I understand you might still be angry about having to act like a black sheep your whole life, but that is no excuse for attacking a fellow nin."

"But, Tsunade-sama, he-"

"No buts, Hinata. You are already in trouble as it is. Now," Tsunade said, turning back to the rest of the ninjas, "I am guessing I never finished telling you about Itachi. As you might have just seen, he is still loyal to us and only us. He was the mediator between the Uchiha clan and the village elders. However, when he told then of unrest in the Uchiha clan, the elders worried of a revolt. They told him to kill off the clan, and he would be doing the whole village well. And so, he listened, only to be called a traitor and exiled from Konoha. He is more loyal than any of you probably are. And as such, he is to be treated with respect. I have also chosen him to be the third member of our team in the experiment. Konoha ninja, I introduce to you Team Satsuriku no Tenshi." Tsunade's speech finished, and Naruto took off from the room like a bat out of hell. Hinata looked at Tsunade, asking permission to follow. Tsunade nodded slightly, and Hinata seemed to disappear, as there was no smoke or noise from her escape. Her fellow ninja were slowly starting to realize how this girl is the most wanted and highest ranked ninja in the nations.

Hinata reappeared right behind Naruto. He hit a dead end and went to turn around, just for Hinata to be standing there.

"What do you want, Hinata? And what are you wearing?" Hinata looked down to see herself still in her bunny pajamas, and smiled. She had scared the crap out of a good number of ninja chunin and up looking like the Easter Bunny. They are never living that down.

"Naruto, I came to tell you-" He cut her off before she could finish.

"Tell me what? That everything you had ever said to me was a lie? That you don't actually love me; that it was part of your act? Because if that is it, I already know. You might as well leave." He had tears in his eyes as he finished in a whisper.

"No, Naruto, it was nothing like that! I had been forced to fight Tsunade-sama when we were twelve for her to allow me permission to stay here! And continue loving you. That was the only part of my past that wasn't scripted. That was the only part that was me. I meant what I said Naruto, I love you." Hinata, too, finished in a whisper, and had a small smile on her face.

When Naruto didn't answer, she closed her eyes and turned to walk away. However, she was stopped when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She opened her mouth to protest, but Naruto quickly stopped that by capturing her lips in a kiss. Hinata stiffened, and Naruto pulled away when he realized.

"I-I am sorry, Hinata. I better go," Naruto turned away and jumped on top of the building blacking his exit. Hinata wanted to stop him, but her body was in shock from his kiss. She stood there, and it was at least five minutes before she could even move. However, that was in the wrong direction. She fell to the ground, and her mind finally gave way to the shock. The last thing she saw as her eyes closed was Itachi staring at her.

Hinata woke up in her bed, and her small room was crowded with people. The ones she could make out first were Tsunade and Itachi. And then she heard them, her teammates. More specifically, her Suna teammates.

"Temari, why are we here again? Hinata doesn't need you to come every time something minor happens."

"Kankuro, just shut up. And yes she does, she is like the sister you aren't. Oh wait, you are a boy. She is like the sister I don't have."

"Temari-"

"Will the two of you just shut up?" Hinata smiled slightly when she heard Gaara yelling at his siblings. She sat up slowly, and looked around. What she had originally thought was a crowded room turned out to only hold five people-Tsunade, Itachi, Lee, Neji, and Sakura as her medic nin.

"Tsunade-sama, Hinata is waking up." Sakura bowed to her mentor and stepped back a little, allowing Tsunade as close to the bed as possible.

"I am not even asking this time, Hinata." Tsunade had a smile on her face as she shook her head at Hinata.

"I don't have time for that right now. Where is Naruto?" Hinata was trying to stand up, somewhat hesitantly as the world started spinning around her. She started to fall, and was caught by every person in the room as if they were one. Tsunade and Sakura sat her down on the bed, and forced her to stay.

"He is in his apartment, I believe. Why does it matter?" Tsunade was looking at Hinata now, and didn't realize Itachi had left. Soon after, he came running back in as Hinata tried standing again. She still refused to tell everyone why she was looking for Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama, he wasn't there."

"Wait-what? Come again, Itachi?"

"I said Naruto wasn't in his apartment."

"Hinata, you have five seconds before you are on probation for harming a fellow ninja." Tsunade was glaring at Hinata, and this time it was true anger.

"Hey, you should be doing that to him. I went after him to talk to him like you wanted, and after talking a little bit, I went to leave. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him. Then he kissed me. I freaked and just stood there, and he left. Then I passed out and I guess hit my head."

"You are lucky you talk quick. That was 4.998 seconds."

"Tsunade-sama, did you not hear what I said!"

"Of course I did, I am just thinking. He isn't in his apartment, but he hasn't had enough time to leave the village. Everyone, except you Hinata because you can't stand, find Naruto. NOW!" Tsunade disappeared in a swirl of leaves, and soon the apartment was void of all life. Including Hinata herself.

The rain had picked up in the time Hinata had spent unconscious. She guessed it to be about two hours, but there was proof that Naruto left in under half an hour of her awakening. Mainly the fact his washer was on with an entire bottle of detergent in it, and it was just about to overflow.

She had gone to the center of the village like a ninja, quite literally. She couldn't be seen, leading to her sticking to the shadows. As soon as she reached the Hokage building, she used a simple genjutsu and climbed up the wall with no one seeing her. She reached the top and activated her Byakugan. From this spot, she could see the entire village, and, as such, Naruto. He was running to the Monument. Hinata jumped down, and grabbed a tree branch just before she hit the ground. She used it like a bar and spun around, her body flipping around as she let go. She landed on her feet, and took off. She reached the Monument as Naruto started climbing. The rain was blinding by now, even penetrating her jutsu to try and keep herself dry. Feeling much like an idiot, she remembered her chakra nature was water, and started bending the water away from her. That still did not help visibility, and she activated her Byakugan again in response. She Shushined to the top and waited for Naruto. He was looking over his shoulder, and did not see her. She side-stepped, and then realized he was going to go right off the edge if he didn't stop. She stepped back into her spot and let him hit her, sending her off the edge and stopping him.

Naruto turned around in shock when he hit somebody, and saw Hinata fall off the edge with a small smile on her face. He ran to her, but she was falling too quickly. Her body hit the ground with a thud, and he couldn't see anything but the giant cloud that appeared from the impact. He reeled back from the edge, only to see Hinata there again.

"What-how-but-" Naruto couldn't form true sentences in his shock.

"You mean the clone? The real Hinata is hanging onto the Fourth Hokage's face, trying to get her feet on so she can walk up." He turned around to look over the edge, and sure enough, Hinata has hanging off the Fourth's lip, swinging her feet to the edge. She finally caught it, and channeled chakra into her feet. She kept her hands on the face, just in case the rain managed to flood her off. It was looking quite possible at the moment.

Naruto heard a pop, and turned around to see the clone was gone. When he turned around again to look at Hinata, she was already up by him.

"Naruto, you have-" She was quickly cut off by Naruto.

"I get it. I have to understand that you don't like me anymore; that I waited too long and somebody else grabbed your heart. Probably one of your teammates on your elite squad." Naruto's eyes dimmed and he stepped back from her, getting him closer to the next head, closer to the next edge.

"No, Naruto. It is that I… I love you. I still do. I thought you were going to say you didn't love me and then, well-" He cut her off again.

"That is bullshit Hinata. You don't have to lie to me. We have both grown in the past year, I understand. I get that you don't love me anymore, and are just saying that to make me feel better. You don't need to anymore. You were the first person to show faith in me, and the last. Goodbye, Hinata." During his little speech, Naruto had walked down the face of the Hokage they were on, and now he was letting his chakra slip away from his feet. Hinata jumped to stop him, but was too late. He started falling. The breeze caused by his freefall whipped his soaked blond hair into his face, but Hinata could still see it. The corners of his mouth twitched up in a small smile as he embraced his upcoming death. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain.

He was surprised when it came too quickly, and from the wrong direction. Naruto felt himself stop falling, and opened his eyes. Hinata was holding onto him, and she had her feet on the tip of the Third's nose, and she seemed to be struggling for him to hear her over the noise of the rain and wind.

"Naruto, you are truly an idiot if you believe that! But, if that is the case, then you are my idiot. I love you, Naruto. My whole heart belongs to you, and nobody else. What you do with it is up to you, and I hope you do it good. Naruto, I truly love you with all of my being." Hinata finished her speech by pressing her lips to Naruto's. He was shocked for a second, but then replied greedily, and started to kiss back. Hinata pulled back after a minute, her face flushed. "As much as I loved that, I think we better continue this on stable ground, and not planking in midair."

"Well, if someone got a picture of us, that sure would be extreme planking." Naruto smiled at Hinata, and the light returned to his eyes.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you never cease to amaze me."

Hinata Shushined the duo down, and relented to teach it to Naruto later. He smiled and gingerly grabbed Hinata around the waist. He leaned down to kiss her, and their lips were inches apart, when Sakura appeared.

"Hinata! Naruto! Where have you two been? And Hinata, you aren't supposed to be out of bed yet? What are you- Oh, am I interrupting something?" Sakura smirked as the two broke apart, but kept their hands intertwined.

"Oh… uh… Hi, Sakura-chan. What's up?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, and he couldn't hide the blush on his face.

"Nothing much is up on my part, Naruto. However, it sees the two of you have something important to do. And Hinata, as your medic nin, I am forced to tell you to be back in bed within ten minutes. As your friend, I tell you twenty." Sakura smiled at the two, waved her hand, and Shushined away.

"I want to do that! Hinata-chan, am I the only one out of our class who can't do that?"

"I am pretty sure of that, Naruto-kun. Now, before Tsunade-sama kills me for getting sick, why don't we go back to my apartment?"

"Okay, Hinata. Come on!" Naruto took off towards his left, and Hinata shook her head. After a minute, he came back. "It is the other way, isn't it?" Hinata nodded, and he took off that way. He returned once again. "You are going to tell me you can just do that cool popping thingy to there, aren't you?"

"It is a Shushin, Naruto-kun. However, yes, I am." Hinata smiled at him, and held out her hand. He grabbed it, and the duo disappeared.

Hinata and Naruto reappeared in Hinata's apartment, specifically, the kitchen. Neji was sitting at the table, reading the legend book, and holding a bucket close by. He had not heard the duo appear, and Hinata signaled for Naruto to be quiet.

She crept up behind Neji, and looked at where he was. Smirking, she realized this was the perfect spot for her plan. Neji had gotten too curious and was reading the entire legend. She held up her fingers to Naruto, a countdown.

_5…4…3…2…1…_ Neji's face turned green, and he grabbed for the bucket. However, Naruto grabbed it before he could. Neji put his hand over his mouth, one last attempt to stop himself from puking. Hinata took over, dancing around in her bunny pajamas. Neji tried to stop his laugh, but failed, and shot puke out of his nose and mouth. Naruto and Hinata barely dodged the spray, while Neji got it all down the front of himself. Grimacing, he ran off to the bathroom. The couple heard the sound of more puking, and Hinata decided to stop playing the mean cousin card.

She jumped over the river of puke forming on the floor, and went to help Neji. Naruto, meanwhile, set clones to clean up the puke, and he left to help Neji too. He arrived at the bathroom door to see Neji puking his guts into the toilet, and Hinata holding back his hair. He couldn't help thinking that the scene was backwards, and started to chuckle. Neji tried to glare at him, but was interrupted by another bout of puking. His stomach finally empty, Neji slowly got up from the toilet. He flushed it, and grimaced as the movement aggravated his poor stomach. Hinata had tied his hair back before, and she was ready with his toothbrush and a glass of water.

Neji couldn't decide if he was grateful for it, or mad that she had caused the whole scene. Huffing, he grabbed the toothbrush from her and brushed his mouth to rid the taste.

"I am really sorry, Neji-nii. But, I didn't expect you to react like that. There was a reason I told you not to read the whole thing. Just be glad you puked before you got any farther, or you would be in the hospital right now for being the first person to puke out their intestines."

"I get it, Hinata-hime. Just stop saying puke."

"Okay, Neji-nii." Hinata smiled at her cousin, glad he wasn't mad at her.

"But, dude, you got to admit, it was kinda funny to see you blow that out of your nose." Naruto had returned to the room, and was smiling slightly. Before he even knew what happened, Neji reached out and Jukened his arms, rendering them useless. "What was that for?"

"Naruto-kun, that wasn't nice of you to say. Neji-nii, don't Juken my boyfriend. I don't want him to run away like all your possible girlfriends." Hinata smiled at the two as they spoke, though the last part caught both off guard. Naruto hid it quickly, just in time for Neji to look up at him.

"Did you decide on this?" Neji seemed to be angry, but most who knew him knew he was just concerned for his cousin.

"Neji-nii, no scaring my boyfriend either. And no, he did not. I did." Hinata stood proud as she said that, but something seemed to dawn on her. She turned to Naruto, and asked, "You want me as your girlfriend, right? Because, if not, you can forg-"

Naruto cut her off. "I would be honored to have you as my girlfriend, if that is what you want."

"Uzumaki Naruto, as I said, you never cease to amaze me. I would love to be your girlfriend." Hinata smiled at Naruto, and the two seemed to be lost in their own world.

Neji cleared his throat, and the two snapped back to reality. "As much as I hate to disappoint you, Hinata-hime, there was a reason I was going through the book, and it wasn't just to get a thorough internal cleansing." Naruto chuckled at that, but quieted quickly when Neji poured a little bit of chakra to the point of his finger and pointed it at him. "The elders sent Hanabi-san here on a message run earlier. I am sorry to say she bore a Caged Bird Seal. She told me that the elders called for us to return to the clan. Even if we do not, Hanabi-san told me that they have important news to tell us. The fact that she bears the mark tells us one thing- either your family is not in control anymore, or one of us is the new head." The air gained a grave atmosphere while everyone let the information sink in. Hinata was the first to recover.

"If we face them, we face them as a united front. First, Neji-nii, call any girl you know who knows me and will act as your girlfriend for a while, preferably TenTen. Secondly, do you have something Naruto-kun can wear? No offence, but if I am correct, you do not have anything formal enough for what we need. Thirdly, I am going to be getting ready. Fourthly, hurry! Finally, send TenTen to my room when she gets here." Hinata took off toward her room, while Neji went towards the phone. TenTen was one of his few friends who had also been gifted with a phone, making communications much easier between the two of them. Naruto stood dumbstruck in the hallway, before following Neji like a lost puppy.

Naruto and Neji walked into Neji's room, where Neji started to go through his piles of clothing for something Naruto could wear. Naruto soon became impatient with waiting, and looked around the room. His eyes caught on a table with a bunch of picture. He walked closer without realizing, and studied the pictures. The first was of what he guessed was a baby Neji in a woman's arms, and a man was leaning in with his arm around her. Naruto guessed the two adults to be Neji's parents. The next picture was of baby Neji in another woman's arms, this one was pregnant. He guessed her to be Hinata's mother because of the similarities he realized they had. The final picture was of five-year old Neji and four-year old Hinata with the same woman. She was once again pregnant, but not as big as before. Naruto smiled slightly, and then jumped when Neji spoke from behind him.

"All the adults in those pictures are dead now. Not a single one of them showed is alive." Neji said it in his normal voice, but Naruto could see the hidden pain in his eyes. Without warning, Naruto pulled the older boy into a brotherly hug. Neither were sure what had happened, but both somehow knew this was a start of a great relationship between the two as brothers.

"That sucks for you. I am sorry I was poking around and made you think of that. I guess I have it easier than most think; because you can't really miss something if you have never had it. But, hey, think of it this way, they probably are looking down from you way up above right now. And all of them are probably saying, 'Get that stick out of your ass Neji, and grow a pair. Stop thinking about us and move on.' Well, maybe not like that, but along the same lines. But really, what is done is done. I bet there probably is some way they all could have been saved, but it didn't happen, and that happened for a reason. Maybe it was so, in the way future, you would have a life lesson for your children. Maybe it is so you know what the pains are of losing your parents so you understand you have to return home to your wife and kids after every mission. But, right now, it is just a dark spot you have to dump a bottle of white-out on to cover up. But, eventually, you will figure it out. Now, come on. You still have to show me how to get into these things. What are they anyways?" Naruto grabbed the clothes from Neji's hands to reveal a white kimono and black hakama.

"Hinata-hime was right about you. Okay, this," Neji took the kimono from Naruto, "is a kimono. Strip to your underwear and I will show you how to put it on." Naruto felt weird, but did what he was told. He was soon standing there in just ramen designed boxers. Sighing, Neji carefully put the kimono down, and went to grab a spare hadajuban. He helped Naruto get into that, and then he stripped and put on his own. Next he put on his own kimono, showing Naruto how to do it. When Naruto tried, however, he kept messing up. Resisting the urge to face-palm, Neji helped Naruto fix that. Finally, he grabbed his hakama and put it on; making sure Naruto knew how to do it. "No matter what happens, I will not help you put this on. However, if you are about to rip it, I am knocking you out. Got that, Naruto?" Naruto nodded, and slowly put on the pants, saying the steps aloud as he did it. The hardest part for him was tying them, and Neji showed him how to do it repeatedly. However, Naruto just couldn't seem to grasp it. Neji went to help him, when he heard a knock on the door of the apartment. He walked out of his room to let TenTen in, and Naruto followed.

Neji opened the door, and saw TenTen come rushing in. "Sorry I am late, my parents wouldn't let me leave and I couldn't tell them I was going to your house or they would want to come and that would be a problem and…" she trailed off at Neji's face. Looking at Neji, and then Naruto behind him, she smiled. "What is this, twin day?"

Neji glared at her playfully. "Just come in. Hinata-hime is in her room. She said for you to just go in. I think she has some clothes for you."

"Wait- what? Why do I need clothes?" TenTen looked between the two boys, and then looked at their clothes again. "Oh Kami! No way in hell are you putting me in a kimono!"

"Please, TenTen. It is for Hinata-hime. All you have to do is act like my…" Neji blushed red, and cut himself off. He seemed to have an internal debate while TenTen and Naruto just stared at him. "TenTen," he got down on one knee, and Naruto thought he was proposing for a minute, "will you be my girlfriend?"

TenTen looked at him for a minute, and Naruto saw tears forming in her eyes. As the first hit her cheek, she answered. "I would love to be your girlfriend, Neji." Neji stood up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a loving kiss. Naruto turned away from the scene to see Hinata sticking her head out of her bedroom. He couldn't tell what her hair or clothes looked like, but he could see the smile on her face. She returned to her room, and Naruto turned around to see TenTen and Neji smiling at each other, but they had broken apart.

"TenTen, Neji, I hate to interrupt you two, but I believe Hinata needs TenTen in her room. And you still have to show me how to tie this, Neji." Naruto had interrupted the two, and TenTen sighed as she walked towards Hinata's room. As soon as the door closed, Neji covered his ears. Naruto looked at him and decided to do so as well; however, he was too late. TenTen's scream burst his eardrums and he fell to the ground in pain, before Neji's glare got him standing again.

Her scream stopped and Neji took his hands off his ears. He grabbed Naruto and walked back into his room. Sighing, he showed Naruto the tying way to tie it again. When he didn't get it, Neji face-palmed, but did it for him. Walking into his closet, Neji found two haori, and walked out again. He handed one to Naruto, and quickly told him how to put it on correctly. After they were dressed, Neji grabbed two pairs of zori, and gave a pair to Naruto.

Naruto went to run out of the room, but Neji stopped him. "Did you really think you would be dressed up formally, yet keep your hair and attitude as it is? You have to comb you hair or something. Here," Neji grabbed his hairbrush, "brush it." Neji went to go fix his hair, when he heard a ripping noise. He turned around to see Naruto with the brush completely stuck in his hair. Shocked, Neji just stood there, staring at Naruto.

"Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to help me get it out?" Naruto was trying to untangle the hair, but it wasn't working that well. Neji's shock left and he went to help. Assessing the knot, Neji saw no way to get the brush out.

"Naruto, the only way to get that out is to cut it." Neji had to hold his laugh back at Naruto's face. Said boy went to try and pull the brush off his head, but winced and sighed in response.

"Fine. Just don't make it look stupid." Naruto allowed Neji to drag him into the bathroom, where he was sat down on a stool. A towel was wrapped around his shoulders, and he closed his eyes. _Snip…Snip…Snip… _His head started to feel like pounds were being shed off of it, and soon the brush was out. However, Neji now had to fix it up.

The scissors moved around his head at a pace faster than he could keep up with, and his hair was soon just a pile on the floor. The final snips resounded around the room, and Neji stood back from Naruto.

"Okay, I think it is finished." Neji felt proud of himself, for he thought Naruto's hair actually looked good for once. It was now only about an inch long, and he had bangs that swept across his forehead. The back was short, and it resembled Hinata's hair from years ago.

Naruto opened his eyes to look in the mirror, and was shocked. He pinched himself and rubbed his eyes, making sure he was awake and not seeing things. The person who looked back at him from the mirror looked nothing like his old self. He looked like a clan member, not an orphaned boy.

"Thank you, Neji-nii." Naruto's face was shock as that slipped out, but when Neji smiled, he smiled back. It had felt right to both of them. To Neji, Naruto was the little brother he saw some other branch members have. And to Naruto, Neji acted like he imagined an older brother would. Sure, Neji teased him a lot, but he actually cared about him. This showed it, and Naruto felt a feeling he hadn't felt before. He felt the love of a family.

The two walked out of the bathroom, and right into TenTen. TenTen saw Naruto's hair, but didn't seem to realize. Naruto could understand why. She was in a kimono he guessed was Hinata's. It was a dark purple that almost looked black. Her hair was out of its usual buns, and Naruto was surprised to see how long it was. It was just a few inches shorter than Hinata's, and went to the small of her back. Naruto was lucky Neji didn't catch him looking his girlfriend in a way that seemed to be checking her out.

Neji led Naruto back to the kitchen, where he told Naruto to sit down.

"Okay, now the hardest part. Etiquette. In the Hyuuga household, you only speak when spoken to. You must address your 'Hinata-chan' as 'Hinata-hime' and nothing else. Anyone else is to be addressed as 'san' or 'sama' for those who are important. You will know those people right off the bat. TenTen and I are 'TenTen-san' and 'Neji-san' for example. When eating, there will be multiple utensils. Never eat with your hand, and look at Hinata-hime or myself for what utensil to use. You always allow the Hyuuga Branch family members to serve, and the Main Branch get served first. Do not take a bite of any food until you see Hinata-hime do so. Do not slouch, and bow to anyone, even a simple head-bow for Branch members. Clan elders and Main Branch members deserve a full bow. Do not talk loudly, and talk politely. Let others talk, and not yourself. Refrain from telling stories, and refer to the Hokage as 'Hokage-sama' if it needs to be mentioned. Try to not tell them about your family unless outright asked, they will look down upon your past. And whatever you do, do NOT mention your teacher's perverted ways." Neji finished his speech with a huge gulp of air, while Naruto tried to process all he had been told. It took him a few minutes before he returned back to earth. Neji had spent that time studying the boy who had captured his cousin's heart. He had to admit, if he were a girl like Hinata, he probably would have been friends with the boy, but he just couldn't figure out what his cousin loved so much in him.

"I get it! I mean, I understand, Neji-san." Naruto smiled and felt proud of himself for learning it so quickly.

"Congratulations. You were probably the most improper person in your class, next to the Inuzuka. I have to say, you got it quicker than I expected from you. No offence." Neji smiled slightly at the boy, and received one in return.

"None taken, because it is probably true."

"Oh, just hug or whatever already!" Both boys turned to see TenTen standing in the doorway, Hinata poking her head around the corner. Both shook their heads, but gave each other a brotherly hug anyways, earning an 'aww' moment from the girls.

"We should probably get going. Are both of you ready?" Neji looked at TenTen as he spoke, but the question was for both girls. TenTen nodded, and Neji walked over to her. He offered his arm, and TenTen linked hers through it. Hinata stepped backwards, letting the couple through the way. Naruto came next, and held out his arm to her like Neji did to TenTen. She giggled at him, and started playing with his hair instead.

"I like your hair like this, love it actually, but I kind of miss the old style. I can't run my fingers through this," Hinata spoke, and let her arm fall down and loop through Naruto's.

"Well, this is what happens when you try to brush hair that hasn't been brushed in years and get the hairbrush stuck in it." Naruto smiled a little as Hinata shook her head. Her hair was elegantly pulled into a braided bun on top of her head, and he spotted at least one diamond headpiece in it. His mood depressed a little at the thought that he isn't able to buy her things like that, but soon brightened when he saw her outfit. She was wearing a lavender kimono with white trim that had butterflies embroidered into it. She had a dark purple obi tied around her waist, and she looked very much like a princess to Naruto.

The two couples Shushined themselves to the Hyuuga gates, Naruto needing the help of Hinata. The guards were ready to attack, until they saw who it was. Both relaxed their positions and sent looks of sympathy at Hinata as a message was sent to the clan elders. Hanabi arrived at the gate to escort the group inside.

"Hanabi, what happened?" Hinata looked at her little sister with worry. This is not what she expected to happen to her.

"I am not allowed to give you any information, Hinata-hime. I see we have two extra guests. They are expected to act accordingly." Hanabi said the last line with a glare at Naruto, but continued to lead them. "You are to be meeting the clan elders in the dining hall. There is going to be a meal served. Please remove your shoes and place them here." Hanabi pointed to a mat by the door they were going to go through. All four complied, and stood straight. Neji placed his arm around TenTen's waist, and stepped on Naruto's foot to get him to understand he must do the same. He understood, and did so, if somewhat clumsily. Hanabi just rolled her eyes and led them into the room.

Naruto was surprised when he saw a long table filled with dishes upon dishes of food. However, he acted like it was an everyday occurrence to him; something TenTen could not quite pull off. Her mouth slackened un-lady-like for a moment, before she closed it. A fact that did not go unnoticed by the Elders assembled in the room.

Neji led TenTen over to a seat, and Naruto followed his action, but sat on the opposite side of the table. Many elders noted his proper etiquette while handling Hinata, and were surprised. He was nothing like the demon they thought him to be.

"Hinata-sama, Neji-san, you two were called here. We understand that each of you brought a rather important person to you, but we wish that you ask if such an act is appropriate next time. There is news we have to tell you, and we wish it to be heard by Hyuuga ears only," one of the elders spoke with clear disgust in his voice when he mentioned the fact neither of the two asked to bring someone else with them.

"If this news is for Hyuuga ears only, Elder-sama, then I believe we all are to leave. If you do not remember, Neji-san and I left the clan and compound years ago." Hinata went to stand up, but Naruto stopped her. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear.

"If this is important for you to know, I will leave. And I believe it is." Hinata shook her head at him and whispered back.

"Do not leave me. Not now, and not ever. But please, especially, not now." Naruto nodded to her, and she spoke to the elders again.

"If it is for Hyuuga ears as you say, and we are to be included, then I believe it should be for future-Hyuuga ears also." TenTen and Naruto were shocked by the fact they were being called future-Hyuuga, something neither of them had thought about yet.

"Very well. Hiashi-sama, he is dead." The elder's face didn't change, and most stayed a stony mask. However, one elder, the youngest and only female member, broke the mask.

"I am very sorry for your loss, Hinata-sama." A glare silenced her from continuing more, and she looked down at the table.

"If that is all, we will be on our way now." Hinata went to stand up, but Neji was the one who sent her a look to stay sitting. She huffed in annoyance, but did so anyways.

"That is not all. We have the matter of a need for a new clan head." It was still the same elder who spoke, but his voice changed at this point. It was like an advertisement now, trying to convince you to buy something. "We have agreed that you are the best candidate, especially because you are ranked the strongest ninja in the nations. Hinata-sama, you are to be the new clan head."

"And if I don't want it?"

"We force you to take it, and you have no control over the clan, we are just pulling strings to manipulate you."

"Like hell I will let that happen! Fine, I will be the clan head, on one condition." Hinata smirked a little as she said this, but the elders didn't notice. They were wondering what her condition was, having no idea what she would want.

"Okay, just write your condition at the end of the contract, sign it, and once it gets one of our signatures, you are officially the head of the clan. The ceremony will be soon. Here you go." He handed her a stack of papers, and she flipped to the last page. Naruto watched as Hinata wrote very small, _I will not have to listen to a single word from anyone when I am clan head._

He kept a straight face as to not alert the elders of anything, and watched as she signed it and passed it back to the elder, who signed it without even looking at it. Hinata smiled, and relaxed a little after that.

"Now that we have worked that out, why don't we begin the meal? Tsuki, please serve us." The man clapped his hands, and a girl Hinata recognized came running through a door and began to fill the plates all on her own.

"Neji-san, Hinata-sama, it is a pleasure to see you two here." The girl, Tsuki, bowed as she put down the last plate in front of TenTen.

"Tsuki, you may go now." The elder didn't even give her a passing glance as he dismissed the girl. "Very well, why don't the two of you introduce your guests?"

Neji looked at Hinata, who nodded to him, and he went first. "I would like for you to meet TenTen. I am courted to her." When Neji said the last part, many of the assembled elders widened their eyes in surprise.

"And how long have the two of you been together?" It was the girl who asked this, and many elders just ignored her. It seemed she was the best at having a conversation such as the one they were looking for, but they didn't want others to know such a thing.

"Not very long," Neji said hesitantly. When eyebrows rose, he expanded on his answer. "I courted her only a few hours ago." TenTen blushed as he said this, and looked down at her plate in embarrassment. All the elders were paying attention now as Neji explained. "Quite honestly, I was afraid she would say no, and I waited for a long time because of that fear. When I asked her, she was ecstatic."

The girl looked at TenTen, and spoke directly to her now. "Well, hello, TenTen. I am Hitomi. If Neji-kun ever gets to be annoying, you can always come to me. But, how do you feel about this?" She smiled, and the four realized she was playing the nice card to try and make them spill a secret.

"Honestly, I was wondering when he was going to ask me. I just wasn't expecting it today. But, I love him, and he loves me. What more is there to know about the thing they call love?" Her replied surprised quite a few of the elders, who quickly hid it by eating.

"Well, that is nice. Your name is TenTen, correct?" TenTen nodded to Hitomi. "Is that as in TenTen, the Konoha Weapons Mistress?" TenTen nodded again, and a few elders looked up. They had not even recognized the girl when she was dressed up as she was.

"Then, I am guessing you won't need my help if he gets on your nerves. Now, Hinata-sama, who is your guest? And don't you go telling me this handsome devil is your boyfriend." Hitomi smiled at Hinata, who glared back.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto. To you, he is Uzumaki-sama or Naruto-sama. And yes, this 'handsome devil' as you called him, is my boyfriend. I am not very keen on sharing him with anybody, let alone you." She threw down her utensils, but still sat in her spot.

"Uzumaki Naruto, that sounds vaguely familiar. Oh, well, I can't remember right now. So, Naruto-kun," Hinata's glare changed Hitomi's mind, "I mean, Naruto-sama, how do you feel about all of this? I mean, you are now dating the clan head of the most important clan in Konoha. That must be pretty exciting to you. After all, from your last name, I don't believe your family is major in the village."

"I am ecstatic for Hinata-hime, and while I am upset about the death of her father, I will do anything I can to help her. But, I wouldn't care if she had all the money in the world or nothing, I would still love her. She means the world to me, and I would do anything to protect her. If it meant I were to die, I would do it if she could live. I love Hinata-hime with all of my heart, and I am honored to even be in her presence, let alone be courted to her." Neji and TenTen were shocked by Naruto's little speech, mainly because neither had any idea most of those words were in his vocabulary. Hinata was surprised, and had tears in her eyes from his speech. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled herself into the crook of his neck. Closing her eyes, she relished in the protective feeling he gave her.

"That is very wise of you to say, son. Now, what parents have taught their child such manners?" It was another elder who spoke this time; and Neji and TenTen had a feeling of dread hit them full-force at this. Everything he just built was going to be brought down by this answer.

"I do not know my parents, sir. My mother died shortly after my birth, and I do not know anything about my father. For all I know, he could be watching me from across the street, or from above." Neji and TenTen were shocked by this, and the dread disappeared. Naruto had nailed his answer, and many of the elders felt a pang of sadness, before it was squashed by their normal apathy. They were slowly realizing he was nothing like they had imagined the container of the Kyuubi would be like.

"Well, that is very insightful. I am sorry that you did not know your parents; however, those are everyday tragedies. Now, more importantly, since you are courted to the newly proclaimed head of the Hyuuga clan, as the elders, we need to know what you intent-" Hinata cut off the elder when she realized what he was going to say.

"You finish that sentence; you do not live to speak another. I am the head of this clan, and, as such, you do not need to mention such things as I am perfectly capable to take care of myself. If I cannot do that, I cannot take care of my clan." Hinata spoke with defiance, but a small blush crept up her checks from the topic.

"We are just making sure he has pure intentions with the head of our clan. Are we not allowed to care for our leader?" Naruto caught onto what they were talking about, and wrapped his arm around Hinata, silencing her comeback.

"I assure you, my intentions are pure. I will not push Hinata-hime to do something she does not want to do, and I am not just using her as many of you might think. I truly love her, and want to spend the rest of my life with her, if she wants me to stay. I will never harm her." Naruto once again surprised all the inhabitants of the room, and his girlfriend smiled at him. She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck, and closed her eyes in bliss.

The rest of the meal was spent with idle conversation, and for that the two couples were glad. Soon, the four were being led out of the compound by none other than a broken-looking Hanabi.

"Hanabi, what happened to you? Why did they give you the seal? God, I'm a horrible sister, leaving you there while I got away…" Hinata had tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the shell of her little sister.

"None of it is your fault, Hinata-sama. It is-" Hinata cut her off.

"You call me Hinata-sama again, and you won't ever get special attention from me when I am acting like clan head." Hinata didn't know a good threat, but her little one changed her sister's attitude. Any other clan head, and they would be angry at the change to informality. Hinata, however, welcomed it. She was, after all, the one who threatened her sister to be informal.

"Yes, Hinata-hime." Hinata signed and shook her head at the honorific, but let her continue. "As I was saying before, it is not your fault. You were exiled from the clan, to put it bluntly. If you tried to do anything, you would have been executed for trying to 'kidnap' the clan heiress. However, Father became distraught over the whole incident. He tried to make it seem like I was a failure to the clan elders, much like he did with you; except, it didn't work out properly. They knew I wasn't weak. However, I became depressed when you left. I was young and stupid, I didn't understand it all at first. I stopped fighting as hard, and the elders soon began to believe I actually was a failure, and that the only reason I beat you and others I fought was through the fact that I am younger and smaller than most of my opponents, and that would lead to them going easier on me for fear of hurting me. When I sparred with an elder and won, they thought I was lucky or I was playing cheap shots. They agreed to let Father 'give me the seal' only for him to 'mess up' like he did on you. However, he was quite sickly, and the elders promised him a medicine if he did it properly. When he refused, they did it themselves in a sacrifice that used Father and another elder. That is the reason Hitomi is now part of the elders. It was her mother they used." Hanabi finished speaking as they neared the gate. Tears were silently running down her face, and she looked at the ground to hide it.

Hinata noticed her sister's pain, and grabbed her into a hug and held her to her chest as she spoke quietly. "I promise on my life that I will make this better. It won't be much longer. Just wait for my coronation, and you will soon be surprised. We must go now. Be strong, and don't give in to them." Hinata held her sister tighter for a second, before letting go. She smiled at her sister, who smiled back through her tears.

Hanabi turned around and walked away slowly, continuing to look over her shoulder at the retreating forms of the four people she believed could save her clan. She smiled one last time, before retreating herself into the Branch House she now lived in.

The couples walked out of view of the compound, before Shushining back to the Hyuuga apartment. They walked inside, and the girls went to Hinata's room and the boys went to Neji's.

Hinata and TenTen hurried to get out of their kimonos, both unused to such wear now. Hinata finished first, and folded her clothes neatly. She put them away just as TenTen managed to get out of hers. She folded the outfit slowly, making sure it was neat. Hinata helped on the more complicated parts, and the kimono was soon folded and ready to be put away. TenTen picked it up slowly and carefully, trying to keep the neat and precise folds in place. It worked almost exactly as planned, except for one pesky fold. She fixed it, and went to hand the formal wear back to its owner.

Hinata looked from her friend to the kimono, and back. She had looked perfect in it, and she didn't normally wear the one she had given to TenTen. "Wait, TenTen, how many kimonos do you have?" TenTen shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"I don't know, one from when we were younger, I think. They are always something I know I need, but don't want to spend all the money on." TenTen again tried to give the kimono to Hinata, who pushed it back for a second time.

"And did you like this one? I sure know you looked good in it, and Neji thinks so too." TenTen caught on to what her midnight-blue-haired friend was trying to do.

"Hinata, I am not keeping you kimono. It is yours, and you should keep it."

"You didn't answer my question. And it doesn't matter to me, I never wear that one. It is too big. It was from Sasuke's mother to my mother when she found out I was a girl. It is meant to be passed from friend to friend, the cycle to continue as long as it can. And, this is me continuing the cycle of owners. Anyways, you are the girlfriend of the cousin, more like brother, of the head of the Hyuuga clan. You are going to need a lot of kimonos."

"Fine, you are right. And I guess I did like it on me." TenTen sighed as she gave in to her smaller friend.

"You guess? You were SMOKIN' in that. I sure saw Neji having a hard time taking his eyes off of you." Hinata smirked at her friend, who blushed brighter than she ever had before.

"O-okay. Thanks, Hinata." TenTen went to open the door and leave, but Hinata stopped her.

"Did you not hear me? You are going to need a lot of kimonos, not just one. Here," Hinata started going through her piles of clothes, looking for things she would never wear, "I am making a pile of formal and semi-formal clothes I never wear. You are going to try on every piece, and take whatever you want, or if I say you are taking it with you." The pile was already large from her work as she spoke, and TenTen groaned at the thought of trying it all on. "The faster you start, the smaller the pile will be." Chuckling at her friend's logic, TenTen stripped herself again, and grabbed the first thing on the pile. She put it on, and twirled around, showing Hinata the kimono.

Meanwhile, in Neji's room, Naruto was struggling to get out of his clothing. Neji had already done so, folded the clothes, and put them away, while Naruto still could not figure out how to untie the hakama. Neji sighed as he, once again, grabbed the tie and pulled it, effectively untying the pants in less than a second.

"Not fair, you wore these all the time when you lived with the Hyuugas!" Naruto tried to defend himself, but he was in over his head.

"This is my first time in five years wearing a hakama. And all you have to do when untying it is pull it. You couldn't even figure that out. And, with the way you are folding it, you are going to ruin your first acceptable outfit." Naruto sheepishly smiled as he gave up trying to fold the pants. After a minute, he realized something.

"Neji?" Naruto interrupted Neji's lesson on how to fold the clothes properly to ask his question. "Why did you call them mine?"

Neji gave a slight smile to the boy he was staring to see as a little brother. "Because they are yours now, why else?" Naruto looked at him in shock. This was one of the nicest things someone other than Hinata, any Hokage, or Kakashi had ever done for him. "You are dating Hinata-hime, who is the head of the Hyuuga clan. You are going to need formal clothes, which I don't believe you have. And no offence, but I believe they are a little too expensive for you to go out and buy right now." Neji finished his lessons on how to fold every piece of the outfit, which Naruto had taken off while Neji was explaining other pieces, and handed the pile to Naruto.

"Here you go, Naruto. You better keep my things in good condition." Neji ruffled the shorter boy's hair, much to said boy's displeasure, and led him out of the room. "Knowing Hinata, they are going to be awhile. Want something to eat? And no, we do not have ramen." Naruto pouted a little at the second part, but brightened again as he saw all the food in the kitchen.

"Dear Kami, do you guys sell food out of here?" Naruto's jaw was close to hitting the floor, and Neji couldn't help but chuckle.

"If I did, Hinata-hime would be very mad at me. She loves having the array of food so she can make anything she feels like. And she is the chef here, and a good one at that, so I would rather not anger her. She could poison my food or, even worse, stop making it." The two boys started looking around the kitchen for something they could make with their basic cooking skills. It wasn't looking too good for them.

Hinata and TenTen heard the sound of cabinets closing, and both sighed.

"I better go make something for the two monsters out there. What do you want, TenTen-chan?" Hinata turned to her friend, who decided to just leave on the dark blue kimono she was wearing, seeing as it was one of the first casual pieces she had come across. She could not find her clothes, and guessed Hinata had something to do with that.

"Cinnamon buns?" TenTen put a pout on her face, and Hinata gave in.

"Fine. Come on." Leading TenTen through the apartment, even though the girl didn't need it, Hinata walked into the kitchen, and, without any words spoken, started to get out the ingredients to make her specialty.

As she started mixing things together in a large bowl, Neji looked over her shoulder. "Cinnamon buns?" He looked at TenTen when Hinata didn't respond, and she nodded.

"Yes now be quiet, or you won't get any from her." TenTen smirked as Naruto "zipped" his mouth shut, and Neji sat in the chair still in front of the giant book of legends. TenTen saw his wandering gaze, and tried to warn him. "I wouldn't do-" He cut her off.

"They already got me. You don't have to warn me, I am definitely not reading any further than I got, which wasn't very far."

"It was quiet funny, Neji-nii. We didn't expect you to react like that though! You weren't even close to where TenTen got." Hinata turned around after she had put her cooking in the oven, faster than anyone had guessed would have been possible.

TenTen, now curious, looked between the two family members, and then to a smiling Naruto. "What did you two do to him, and where did he get to? The second paragraph?" When Hinata shook her head, TenTen felt like she was going to enjoy the story.

"Second sentence-"

"Hey, I was on the beginning of the third sentence!"

"Fine, Neji-nii. He was on the _third sentence_ of the first paragraph. And, seeing where you are standing, I don't think you are going to want to know what happened." TenTen jumped into the air at the last part, and landed in a chair, making sure she was not touching the ground at all.

"What happened?" TenTen looked at her blushing boyfriend, and then to her smirking best friend and her boyfriend.

"We saw he was reading it even though I told him not to. He was smart, he had a bucket with him, but not smart enough to think about what would happen if that was taken away from him. So, I had Naruto-kun grab the bucket when Neji-nii started to turn green." Hinata paused for breath, but Naruto took over.

"And he tried to stop himself from puking, but Hinata-hime started dancing around in her cute bunny pajamas, and he started to laugh as he tried to stop himself from puking." He too paused, and Neji told the last part.

"I tried to stop, but it kinda shot out of my nose and mouth?" He said the last part like a question as he blushed from embarrassment. "Painfully, might I add."

TenTen had been smiling at the beginning, but she was now chuckling at her poor boyfriend's face. He pouted -well, he tried too- at her, and she tried to stop herself. "Okay, enough pick-on-Neji time. I say -Hinata, why are you looking… I am not even asking." Neji stopped as Hinata held up her hand, and then pointed to the phone. After a few seconds, it started to ring. Neji went to pick it up, but Hinata reached around him for it.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama." There was a pause as Hinata listened to what Tsunade said. She nodded her head, even though she couldn't be seen, and placed the phone on the table, putting it on speaker. "Okay, you are on speaker." Hinata stepped back, and the four listened closely as their leader spoke to them.

"Okay, I have a mission for you four." Tsunade's voice was crackled by the phone, but they heard her clearly. "Normally, I would ask you to come here; however, we do not have the time for such a thing. The phone line is secure, correct?"

"Correct, Tsunade-sama." Neji, being the closest to the phone, took on the part of being the speaker.

"Okay. Then I shall tell you now. Uchiha Sasuke was spotted on the border of Fire and Wind. Suna has sent out a squad to meet you four at the border, and you are to work together as a combined squad. If need be, Hinata, you know how to contact your own team, correct?"

"Correct, Tsunade-sama. However, most of them are on missions now. Only Lee, the Suna siblings, and Haku and the sisters from Kiri remain free for missions." Hinata counted the people off on her fingers, and smiled when she got it right. Naruto's look at Haku's name did not go unnoticed, but none of the others brought it up.

"Well, that is more than you are going to need at their skill levels. Now, you mission is to capture Sasuke. Do NOT kill him. Understood?" A chorus of "yes" followed her question, and the call ended.

"So much for relaxing. At least we can have cinnamon buns for the beginning of the journey." TenTen spoke jokingly, but she reminded Hinata of the food in the oven, which she managed to save in the nick of time.

"No eating now!" Neji and Naruto sat back in their seats, and TenTen looked at Hinata with puppy eyes. "Fine! But only one!" The cinnamon buns were picked up, and then levitated with chakra as the heat burned their hands. "They just came out of the over, did you expected them to be cooled?" Hinata rolled her eyes, but her anger was false and she got the things she needed to start packing food for their mission. "Hey, TenTen? Can you pack my bag for me?" She saw TenTen nodded out of the corner of her eye, and had a feeling she was going to regret that from the smirk on the older girl's face. She ignored the feeling, and replied with a sincere "Thank you!"

As they left the room, she continued to make the packs of food and prepare some quick trail mix and ration bars. Soon, her mind was in other places, and she freaked when she felt arms around her waist. Not thinking, she slammed her foot down on the other person's, elbowed them in the stomach, brought her other foot into his groan, and threw one hand over her shoulder to smash their nose in. All this happened in a second, and she turned around to see Naruto on the ground, in excruciating pain.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun! I didn't mean to-" She went to help him up, and he cut her off as she was speaking.

"It is okay, Hinata-hime. It was my fault, I should know to not sneak up on you." He was up now and smiled at her, though the effect was ruined by the blood gushing from his nose, and his arms wrapped around his stomach from the pain.

Hinata grabbed the towel that was on the stove handle behind her, and gave it to Naruto to stop the nosebleed. In seconds it was stained red. Naruto sat in one of the chairs in the kitchen, and Hinata was looking at his nose to make sure she didn't break it. Soon, she was frowning; she had broken it.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I have to reset your nose. It will hurt a lot." Naruto wouldn't show it, but he was afraid. "You might want to bite the towel." Naruto nodded and did so.

Smiling sympathetically, Hinata pushed up her sleeves and stood in front of Naruto, Byakugan activated. She grabbed his nose and slid it back into place with a sickening crunch sound. Naruto's eyes watered from the pain for a moment, until the Kyuubi's healing powers took over and the nose was secured in place.

"All done! Though, you might want to go home to change and pack your bag." Naruto looked down at his blood-stained shirt, but shook his head.

He explained to a confused Hinata, "I sent a group of clones to my place to pack. They probably already know and one will be bringing me a new shirt." Hinata smiled suddenly at him, and Naruto was now the confused one.

Shaking her head, Hinata told him, "Then you might want to go open the window to get your shirt." Naruto whipped around to see two of his clones at the window; one carried an identical shirt with the only difference being it was in black, and the other had his pack. Smiling to his girlfriend, Naruto ran over to the window. In the time it took for Naruto to change and grab his pack, Hinata packed all the food into another bag.

Naruto walked into the kitchen, behind Hinata. "I am walking up behind you. Don't freak." Hinata laughed lightly and felt Naruto's arms snake around her waist. "I love you, Hinata."

"And I love you, Naruto. For ever and always." Hinata smiled as she spoke, before turning around in Naruto's arms and capturing his lips in a kiss. To her, it was the best day ever.


End file.
